For a hot minute, it looked like the Golden State Warriors would easily cruise to victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Then the Boston Celtics said, “hang awn just one wicked minute!” and made a furious comeback. They were down by 12 entering the fourth quarter and ended up WINNING by 12.
The Warriors lost their first home game of the postseason. The Celtics outscored the Warriors by 24 in the fourth quarter, and their comeback included 17 straight points.
It was a fun Game 1! But it made me a bit nostalgic. After all, every series in NBA Finals history has had a Game 1 in it, even going back to the good ol’ days.
Here are three fun moments from NBA Finals Game 1 history:
In 2018, the Warriors met the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the fourth year in a row.
People were kind of sick of both teams. The Warriors had signed Kevin Durant the season before and became NBA villains. LeBron was in his eighth consecutive Finals and people already love to hate on him.
But Game 1 in this series was a doozy. It was close, LeBron played one of the best games of his playoff career, and with 4.7 seconds left, Cleveland’s George Hill went to the line for two free throws with a chance to win.
He made the first one, and then looked like he would rather be ANYWHERE else than at the free throw line, shooting another free throw with a chance to win the game.
Perhaps you can guess by taking one look at that face, but Hill did not make the second free throw. Luckily, his teammate J.R. Smith grabbed the rebound! All he had to do was put up a layup and the Cavs would win.
Instead, Smith seemed to forget the game was tied and dribbled about 30 feet away from the basket.
The entire time, LeBron James was frantically telling him to shoot, or pass, or do SOMETHING besides just stand there.
But Smith, like so many of us when we see someone causing a scene, did nothing. He just stared and watched the time go by.
The Warriors won the game in overtime and won the series in four games. What could have been if Smith was a bit more alert…
I have covered this moment in Crisp Bounce Pass before, but it always deserves another look.
The Los Angeles Lakers won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002. The middle one, in 2001, might have featured their best team.
You had Shaq. You had Kobe. You had Slava Medvedenko and Mike Penberthy.
But for the purposes of this entry, we’re focusing on Tyronn Lue.
The Lakers won 11 straight games to reach the NBA Finals with nary a loss. They matched up with the Philadelphia 76ers. Most folks predicted a quick series, with the Lakers continuing their domination.
Except that didn’t happen (at least for Game 1) because Philadelphia had Allen Iverson. The guard who’s shorter than I am scored 48 points and the 76ers secured a Game 1 victory in overtime.
Along the way, Iverson shot a jumper, and as he landed, Lue fell at the front of his feet. The Lakers guard made an ill-fated attempt to block Iverson’s shot. That’s when it all unraveled for him.
Iverson stepped right over Lue like he was navigating a minefield. Full leg lift and extension, and looking down to make sure he saw what he was leaving in his stead.
It was glorious. Let’s watch it together.
Sure, the Lakers won the next four games and capped off one of the most dominant postseason runs ever. But most basketball fans only remember AI stepping over Lue.
I grew up in the Chicagoland area in the 1990s, which means I was required to be a Chicago Bulls fan. As such, I got to watch Michael Jordan work magic on the court.
In 1998, he was 35 and the Bulls were probably imploding after the season. Everyone was planning to retire, leave, or get swept away (it is the Windy City, after all), so there was a lot riding on the line.
The Bulls matched up with the Utah Jazz, the same team they had defeated during the 1997 NBA Finals.
Game 1 of this series was a tense, low-scoring affair. And yes, the NBA changed from 1998 to 2018, but note the score here: 82-82. In the first highlight, it was tied at 107.
That’s wild stuff.
Anyway, the Bulls had the ball with 7.5 seconds left. Everyone in the building and everyone watching from home knew Michael Jordan would get the last shot. And, I think deep down, we all knew he’d make it.
And wouldn’t you know it? That’s exactly what he did.
